The Owl and the Monkey

Saria had not even stood again before the hail started. The royal butler had thrown her out of the city and onto the jetty. Before she had even hit the deck, the guards were commanded to pelt her with bullets: a task they took too with zeal. Two pellets struck her but Saria had the dexterity of her new body on her side. She recovered from the fall quickly and bounded across the jetty. There was a gap between the dock and the nearest tree but a running start gave her the momentum she needed to avoid falling into the swamp. The Deku guards continued their relentless assault though she was already happily out of their range and their bullets pinged uselessly off the jetty. Saria took a moment to collect her thoughts before climbing up into the trees.

It had begun to rain in earnest. Large, heavy droplets fell straight down and Arialk felt her fur gradually sticking to her skin. It had been a bad start to the day. Link was now on his own in the Deku city, she couldn't get to him and it was raining to boot. As she clambered to the top of the tree line, she prayed to the Goddesses that the others weren't watching her progress. She thought of Nabooru and how competent she had been in aiding Link; why couldn't she be more like her?

"Ho ho ho, when I took the form of an owl, I didn't think I would start a trend among the other sages!"

Saria's ears pricked up and she followed the familiar voice to its source: a large owl perched in the branches. The bird's markings beneath its beak were unmistakable. "Kaepora… Kaepora Gaeboro is that you?"

The massive owl nodded, "It is indeed child and, fear not, I am not a figment of this unusual dreamland. I am I."

Saria bounded over the canopy and the bird opened up a wing for her to shelter under. "What about you, you'll still be wet?"

"I think I can cope with that, I'm not the one who's been chased out of a city this morning."

Saria huddled under the birds' soft wing and drew it around her shivering body like a blanket. "How are you here, Kaepora? Aren't you supposed to be in the chamber of the sages?"

"Ho ho child, do you really forget your time as a sage so easily? You should remember that I have no mortal body outside the chamber. I am in the Sacred Realm, guarding it as I have always done, but I am also here."

"But this is Link's dream, did the Mask Man let you in?"

The bird chuckled again. "No child. As I said, I have no mortal form outside the sacred realm. This body of Gaepora is a curious vehicle for my mind, not quite inhabiting the physical world but not purely a spirit. In short, I can come and go as I please between many realms and many places."

"I'm not sure I understand all that Rauru, but I'm glad you're here; I'm making a mess of things."

"You mustn't be so hard on yourself child. As I recall, a very experienced Gerudo made trouble for herself by diving recklessly into a poisoned bog."

"Ha ha, I guess that's true." The Monkey furrowed its wet brow. "If you've been watching all that we've been doing, why have you only come here now? Why didn't you say you were watching over us when we started our quest?"

Gaepora lowered his head. "There are many currents and threads in this world. Events are always rising and falling in this and many other realms. When you started out your quest, though I care for the Hero of Time, I had to trust that you would find him and be able to aid him on your own."

"So what changed?" Saria asked, "Did you see us screwing up and decide to lend a hand?"

"Such a morose child," Gaepora teased, "It is not a good look for you. No, I began searching you out when the negative energy of Link's dream began infecting Hyrule. No person has slept very well in the land for several moons but that is not why I am with you now. Your friend Malon is in serious danger."

"Malon? What has happened to her?"

Gaepora fixed her with a disapproving glare. "I know you are concerned for Link but you shouldn't let that concern blind you to other issues. What happens to Hylian's who wander too deep through the Lost Woods?"

Saria let out a gasp and covered her mouth with both paws as she realised what Gaepora was getting at. "She hasn't…has she become a monster?"

"She is close to succumbing to that curse. Your friend Ruto is helping to keep her mind intact, but her body has already made the change."

"There can't be much time then," Saria fretted. "I have to get out of the dream." She began to pull at her face, assuming this would be enough to break the Restful Mask's hold of her. "It's not working, why isn't it working?"

Gaepora looked out towards the Deku city. "It seems you have more to do in this dream. The Restful Mask will not let you leave till you have served your part here as this monkey." The owl thought for a moment. "There is one option I can see available to us. I said already that I am able to travel between the soft realms, the realms of incorporeal and real. Were you to make a potion for your friend here, it is conceivable that I could transport it to your friend. She is in the Dreamlands, so these two realms are linked."

"It's the best chance we have," Saria agreed. She pulled away from Gaepora's wing. "I need to get back into the Deku city, my bond mate is still trapped there. If we can break him out of the royal palace, I'm sure we will be able to plunder their larder too. It would be a pretty poor Deku court to not stock the proper ingredients and herbs that this forest provides."

"A sensible plan," Gaepora agreed. "I will fly you over the city and drop you in a quiet space. Link, I sense, is in the royal garden, trying to break your bond mate free. Grab hold of my talons, we must be quick."

Link had found himself a permanent guest of the Deku Court, with freedom to wander the grounds until the Royal Butler could find a more permanent home for the orphaned Deku boy. Link felt sorry for Arialk the monkey, but after being assured she had not been harmed, merely ejected from the city, he decided the best thing he could do for her would be to help her bond mate escape.

The royal gardens were an architectural marvel. The Deku's closer ties to nature meant that their hedges, flowers and vines grew more by suggestion than by simple shearing and pruning. The crowning achievement were the floating flower beds that hovered on tiny islands above the main garden. This second level of floating islands linked to various catwalks and doorways into the palace. On inspection, Link guessed that the second tier would lead to the prison cell where Arialk's bond mate was being held.

A few guards and courtiers flew on spinning flowers across the floating isles; how they made their way to the second floor though, he could only guess.

The rain was abysmal and Link wished he could take in the gardens on a more clement day. A large sundial in the centre of one of the courtyards was rendered useless by the torrential rain and dark clouds.

"If you're trying to work out what the time is, it's nearly lunch," Tatl said despondently. "I'm hungry and I'm wet, how much longer are you going to spend moping around this stupid garden anyway?"

"Hey, if he's trying to rescue my bond mate then you better not be discouraging him!"

Link turned to the new voice that came from behind a hedge. "Arialk? Arialk is that you?"

"Quiet dum dum," Tatl hissed, "Do you want the guards to notice and kick her out again?"

Link looked around before diving behind the hedge to where Arialk, the monkey, was waiting. "How did you get back in here?" Link asked in awe of his companion's apparent prowess."

"Let's just say a little bird helped me." Arialk grinned triumphantly. "We need to get you onto the top level of this place. There are loads of doors up there that must lead to my Bond Mates cell."

Link shook his little Deku head. "There's no way up to that level that I can find. If I was human, I'd climb the vines, but this body just doesn't have the upper body strength and the moment I transform I'll be picked off by the court guard."

Arialk scratched her head and looked at him appraisingly. "How heavy are you on that form?" Without waiting for an answer, she put her arms on his waist. He was so waif like in this form that her hands could easily wrap around his body. When she lifted him, his little frame was so light that she could hold him comfortably above her head without putting in much effort. "Wow, you're as light as a forest bug!"

Arialk's body was stronger than Saria's real form and she felt confident in the monkey's power. Moving just below one of the floating islands above them she prepared herself. "Okay, on the count of three I'm going to jump and throw you in the air at the same time. If we're lucky I should be able to propel you right up onto that isle."

Link braced himself, "As soon as you throw me, the guards are going to know you're here."

Arialk nodded. "I know. One. Two."

Link didn't even hear a three. With her powerful back legs, Arialk sprang off the ground, climbing half the distance she needed before using her upper arms to toss him high into the air.

There was no time to see if the Deku boy had made the target. A guard's whistle sounded over the din of the rain and in an instant Arialk was running. A hail of Deku nuts and bullet seeds flew from hidden corners of the garden and a host of guards, who hadn't been there before, were burrowing out from the ground and adding their fire power to the others. Only her tremendous speed and dexterity allowed her to dodge the projectiles hurtling toward her. She bounded to the wall and leapt onto the hanging vines.

Link had landed awkwardly on the floating islet and on hearing the guard's whistle, sprung straight into action. Burrowing into a nearby pod, he popped up into the air, clinging to two spinning flowers. Below him, he could see Arialk bounding along the garden, desperately trying to stay clear of the angry soldiers. Link guided his flight to the nearest platform, dropping a few Deku nuts of his own on the guards as he flew. Arialk raced up the garden's vines and on to the walkway with ease and grabbed hold of Link by his legs, as the flowers carrying him began to falter.

"Quick," Link said as soon as his feet touched the ground. "We must keep moving. This way!"

Running and bounding across the platform, Arialk and Link followed the maze of the gardens back towards the heart of the palace. The second level was mostly devoid of guards, and the courtiers they ran into quickly dived into pods or jumped onto the hedges below rather than risk a fight.

The adrenaline rush was almost too much for Saria. As they came closer to her bond mate's cell she almost missed the door for the potions storeroom. She skidded to a halt. Link grabbed her paw to drag her along. As Arialk, she felt a huge need to follow, to get to her bond mate, but Saria needed to undo the damage to Malon. She wrenched herself free from Link's grasp. "Keep going, hurry! I'll… I'll make sure no one follows you."

Link hesitated but Tatl was already pulling on his hat. "Come on, do what the Monkey says!" Link's feet began to move again and he scurried on. Saria took a deep breath to calm herself: time to help the others.

The potions store room was large and filled with various bottles and jars. Fortunately for Saria, the type of mushroom used to make the particular remedy Malon needed was known for being pungent. Following her nose, Arialk climbed up the shelves, sniffing the air to find the thing she needed.

"Come on," she muttered under her breath "They have to have some here, it's one of the single most important potions a true forest dweller would keep." She began scattering jars and bottles, throwing many to the floor to clear the shelves. Following her nose, she at last sniffed out a large red jar that smelt right. With no time for certainty, she grabbed it and dropped to the floor.

Saria expected the Deku guard to be upon her the moment she opened the door back to the gardens. There was certainly a great commotion from outside as she pressed her ear to the door. She gritted her teeth as she turned the latch.

The Deku guard were in complete disarray. A brave few were still firing their bullets into the sky, but the rest had fled against the terrible bird that had descended on them. Kaepora was not a vicious creature, but his presence was truly terrifying as he swooped over the gardens, his massive talons snatching up guards and courtiers and dropping them harmlessly into shrubberies and manure beds.

"Kaepora!" Saria shouted over the screaming and beating of wings. "I have the potion."

The owl's head turned and it banked in the air, swooping in towards the monkey. "Hold that jar tight," he called.

Saria clutched the massive jar as hard as she could and closed her eyes. Something clutched her tightly and a moment later her feet were no longer on the ground. She did not open her eyes for a second, while the clamour of screams and flying pellets continued to ring out below her. Only when the only sounds were the beat of Kaepora's wings and the patter of the rain did she let herself look out.

"You did well girl," Kaepora called, as he circled a line of trees.

"Thank you," Saria said with a big grin on her face. "How will we get this potion back to Malon in The real world though?"

"Leave that to me."

Saria looked at the potion in her hand then behind her to the Deku city. "Malon shouldn't take more than one thimbleful of this potion a day. The medicine will ward of the curse and keep her whole, but too big a dose can be fatal."

Kaepora cocked his head as he flew. "Why are you telling me this? Are you not returning to the waking world with me?"

Saria shook her head, "No. My bond mate is still imprisoned and if Link thinks I have been taken by the Deku, he'll waste all his time trying to save me. Set me down on the treetops. I'll tie the pot to your leg so you don't drop it."

Kaepora set Saria down as instructed. "Good luck to you, Saria of the Forest Temple. Though you may not feel it in this new reality, you are still the great sage of the forest, even if you haven't been called to awaken."

"Thank you," Saria smiled. She tied the potion onto the bird's legs. "Fly safely now."

The owl flapped its wings and lumbered back into the air; the monkey waved until he was out of sight.

Author's Notes.

This was a fun chapter to write. I find action scenes really hard to write properly. I never think I do them justice or capture the tension right. Even so, I love to write them.

I hope you're all still enjoying the tale. The woodfall temple draws closer and closer.

Massive thank you again to everyone who is reviewing and commenting on the story. If it weren't for your thoughts and suggestions Saria might have had to find an entirely new way to get Malon her medicine. So please keep your thoughts, criticisms and hopefully praise coming in, it helps me in more ways than I can enumerate.

Thanks for Reading.